I went back and looked at the cap his for each player taken with the 17th pick in each round of the draft. I then subtracted the bottom 7 of the top 51 contracts from that number. The result was 1.5M which is the "cost" to sign the draft picks.

Certainly it sounds like the team could sign a couple defensive linemen who's first year cap hit was around $3 mil apiece.

Combine those with a couple early draft picks, maybe a well-regarded undrafted FA (think the DL equivalent of Leary here) and a couple scraps from this year's squad and the defensive line would be on its way to being rebuilt– maybe not completely rebuilt, but on its way.

Yeah they could sign guys with 3 mil that first yr. But what happens the 2nd and 3rd yr when that Salary balloons? And Dallas is right back to being in this situation again?

I think the best thing for Dallas to do is to wait until these bad contracts are out of Dallas. 2015 would be a great yr to start.

OK 13-17 mil in cap. take off 3 mil to tender Bailey and Jones. thats 10-14,

My top 51 already includes K Dan Bailey with a 2014 RFA second round tender, estimated at $2.124M, which is the minimum 5% increase from 2013.

If the team elects to use the first round tender, it's estimated at $3.022M, a difference of $0.898K.

I also included P Chris Jones with an exclusive rights free agent tender ($570K, the 2014 2nd yr minimum).

Subtract 5-6 for draft picks, thats 5-7 mil left.

The team will only need around $1.7M in additional room for its draft class.

Any time a new salary is added to the top 51 during the off-season, you also have to subtract the salary of the player getting replaced.

As an example, if we release Phil Costa (+ $1.5M), Ray Dominguez (- $0.495K) takes his place in the top 51 for a net savings of $1.005M.

Then add 3-4 mil for the season every team keeps around for injuries and such. Whats left in all this cap that Dallas is saving?

Bryan Broaddus has said in the past Dallas likes to hold a couple of million in reserve to account for injuries during the season.

So, if we go with $13.3M in room as a starting point, it could decrease to $12.402M if Bailey is tendered at the 1st round level.

The draft choices will account for around $1.7M in room, which would drop the total available to $10.702M, but the rookies don't need to be signed right away and free agency begins in March whereas the draft is in May this year.

Austin's $5M plus in cap room (as a June cut) would also be available by the time the team started signing the rookies, which brings us to more than $15.702M.

Subtract $2M to hold in reserve for in-season injuries and we are looking at more than $13.702M

The only thing I can't account for is current players who met contract incentives in 2013 that aren't public record.

Barry Church has around $3M in incentives in his deal per a story today on the Mothership.

The Cowboys took a flier on an injured Barry Church during the 2012 year after the safety suffered a season-ending injury with an Achilles tear. They locked him up to a four-year extension worth $8.8 million with fewer than $4 million guaranteed and incentives that move the contract toward the $12 million range.

I do know Sean Lee failed to play 80% of the defensive snaps, so he has not yet activated the 2015 salary escalator ($1.5M) in his contract which will bump his salary that year to $4M. He can still do it by playing 80% of the snaps in 2014.

Any such incentives met in 2013 that will effect the 2014 cap will eventually get leaked out.

My top 51 already includes K Dan Bailey with a 2014 RFA second round tender, estimated at $2.124M, which is the minimum 5% increase from 2013.

If the team elects to use the first round tender, it's estimated at $3.022M, a difference of $0.898K.

I also included P Chris Jones with an exclusive rights free agent tender ($570K, the 2014 2nd yr minimum).

The team will only need around $1.7M in additional room for its draft class.

Any time a new salary is added to the top 51 during the off-season, you also have to subtract the salary of the player getting replaced.

As an example, if we release Phil Costa (+ $1.5M), Ray Dominguez (- $0.495K) takes his place in the top 51 for a net savings of $1.005M.

Bryan Broaddus has said in the past Dallas likes to hold a couple of million in reserve to account for injuries during the season.

So, if we go with $13.3M in room as a starting point, it could decrease to $12.402M if Bailey is tendered at the 1st round level.

The draft choices will account for around $1.7M in room, which would drop the total available to $10.702M, but the rookies don't need to be signed right away and free agency begins in March whereas the draft is in May this year.

Austin's $5M plus in cap room (as a June cut) would also be available by the time the team started signing the rookies, which brings us to more than $15.702M.

Subtract $2M to hold in reserve for in-season injuries and we are looking at more than $13.702M

The only thing I can't account for is current players who met contract incentives in 2013 that aren't public record.

Barry Church has around $3M in incentives in his deal per a story today on the Mothership.

I do know Sean Lee failed to play 80% of the defensive snaps, so he has not yet activated the 2015 salary escalator ($1.5M) in his contract which will bump his salary that year to $4M. He can still do it by playing 80% of the snaps in 2014.

Any such incentives met in 2013 that will effect the 2014 cap will eventually get leaked out.

2015? No, they don't.

2014? They do, at least when you go ahead and add on Dan Bailey and Chris Jones, as I did.

The team also has six players signed to futures deals at the moment, those are the salaries I used when needed for projected future moves like releasing Phil Costa, Justin Durant and Miles Austin.

Yep, if you looked at the list of cap hits that I posted from my spreadsheet, I just used the amount from #49 for #50 and #51. They will sign some players to futures contract soon if they haven't already. In fact I think I saw a report where they signed some of the practice squad players.

My top 51 already includes K Dan Bailey with a 2014 RFA second round tender, estimated at $2.124M, which is the minimum 5% increase from 2013.

If the team elects to use the first round tender, it's estimated at $3.022M, a difference of $0.898K.

I also included P Chris Jones with an exclusive rights free agent tender ($570K, the 2014 2nd yr minimum).

The team will only need around $1.7M in additional room for its draft class.

Any time a new salary is added to the top 51 during the off-season, you also have to subtract the salary of the player getting replaced.

As an example, if we release Phil Costa (+ $1.5M), Ray Dominguez (- $0.495K) takes his place in the top 51 for a net savings of $1.005M.

Bryan Broaddus has said in the past Dallas likes to hold a couple of million in reserve to account for injuries during the season.

So, if we go with $13.3M in room as a starting point, it could decrease to $12.402M if Bailey is tendered at the 1st round level.

The draft choices will account for around $1.7M in room, which would drop the total available to $10.702M, but the rookies don't need to be signed right away and free agency begins in March whereas the draft is in May this year.

Austin's $5M plus in cap room (as a June cut) would also be available by the time the team started signing the rookies, which brings us to more than $15.702M.

Subtract $2M to hold in reserve for in-season injuries and we are looking at more than $13.702M

The only thing I can't account for is current players who met contract incentives in 2013 that aren't public record.

Barry Church has around $3M in incentives in his deal per a story today on the Mothership.

I do know Sean Lee failed to play 80% of the defensive snaps, so he has not yet activated the 2015 salary escalator ($1.5M) in his contract which will bump his salary that year to $4M. He can still do it by playing 80% of the snaps in 2014.

Any such incentives met in 2013 that will effect the 2014 cap will eventually get leaked out.

2015? No, they don't.

2014? They do, at least when you go ahead and add on Dan Bailey and Chris Jones, as I did.

The team also has six players signed to futures deals at the moment, those are the salaries I used when needed for projected future moves like releasing Phil Costa, Justin Durant and Miles Austin.